Denmark, in central southern Western Australia, is a little town in a great location. Explore on foot, by bicycle or on the water, enjoy wine tasting and superb beaches: there is truly something for everyone.

Little Denmark started life as a timber town but has moved on to better things. In a pleasantly unspoilt region, it is now a highly regarded cool climate wine area with foodie experiences to match. The town itself is situated on a huge inlet so is ideal for canoeing and other water sports as well as offering a huge variety of walks and cycling possibilities.

The Bibbulmun Track stretches 1000 km from Perth to Albany but the 85 km Denmark to Albany section is considered amongst the most scenic. It is possible to organise transfers at the Denmark Visitors Centre if you want to have a day or two on the track. The cyclist’s off-road equivalent is called the Munda Biddi Trail and bicycles can be hired to take you through the section around Denmark, with scenic forests and coasts.

We did not have time to explore any of these enticing options, but did manage to fit in a couple of rather fine vineyards and a visit to one of the most stunning beach areas I have ever seen. Here are some of the places we enjoyed around Denmark.

Amongst the Vineyards

Leaving the South Coast Highway behind, we took the scenic drive along McLeod Road to Scottsdale Road which rose high into the hills with sweeping vistas all the way to the Southern Ocean.  I was not greatly impressed with the wines at Ducketts Mill Wines but they do produce a good range of tasty cheeses which are available for tasting: we liked their versions of Caerphilly and Smoked Cheddar. They were decently priced, as were the salamis, jams and chutneys and other deli items they had: a great place to stock up for a picnic. A leafy verandah cafe serves popular cheese platters.

Moving on, via the beautifully sited Singlefile Wines, beloved of James Halliday and recently awarded the prize for the best chardonnay in Australia, we came to the Lake House. In the country just outside Denmark, it is an idyllic spot for lunch with leafy gardens and lake views. There is a good choice of sharing platters available and their wines are excellent too – their premium reserve Shiraz was delicious. They also have the prize winning Vinofood range of chutneys, jams and relishes to sample, cookery books and skincare products.

After that, an afternoon on the beach was called for.  We descended to William Bay National Park  and two iconic beaches. The track first led to Greens Pool, a vision of crystal clear water in turquoises and blues and long white sands. Sheltered by huge offshore rocks, it was popular amongst families and a great snorkelling spot.

We walked on a little further, climbing the headland and suddenly Elephant Rocks was revealed. The huge boulders are stacked so closely together that they resemble a herd of elephants: walk on the rounded rock at the top of the headland to get the first glimpse of a stunning small bay, sandwiched between great boulders. Again the water was lovely and we were tempted to meander on around the edge of the bay, on smooth granite slopes.

The Southern Ocean crashed fiercely behind sheltering islands and the scenery was magnificent. Continuing along on huge polished slabs, we came to a little beach with a fresh water inlet: if you make it this far you will probably have the beach to yourself.

As we headed on at the end of the day, we agreed that it would be very easy to spend more time in this lovely region that seems to offer a diverse selection of all the best things in life.